The present invention relates to methods of supplying fuel to an internal combustion engine and more particularly to a method of supplying fuel to a combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine that has been pre-aerated using a pre-combustion chamber fuel vaporization and aeration system for internal combustion engines of the present invention.
Internal combustion engines typically have injectors that inject ambient temperature fuel into the combustion chamber of the internal combustion chamber of the engine where it is mixed with sufficient air to explode when ignited by a spark from a spark plug. Although this method of supply fuel to the combustion chamber of an engine is effective, it has been found by the inventor hereof that the aforementioned fuel supply method is inefficient in that he has discovered larger amounts of fuel must be used during each combustion cycle than with the method taught and claimed herein of supplying fuel that has been vaporized and pre-aerated to the combustion chamber using one of the many types of pre-combustion chamber fuel vaporization and aeration systems for internal combustion engines taught herein.
It is thus an object of the invention to provide a fuel supply method for supplying fuel and air to an intake manifold of an internal combustion engine that includes using a pre-combustion chamber fuel vaporization and aeration system for internal combustion engines of the type taught herein.
Accordingly, a pre-combustion chamber fuel vaporization and aeration system for internal combustion engines is provided. The pre-combustion chamber fuel vaporization and aeration system for internal combustion engines includes a fuel vaporization and air mixing chamber that has been installed between the fuel tank and the intake manifold of an internal combustion engine. It has been found by the inventor hereof that numerous and various mechanism may be used for vaporizing and aerating the vaporized fuel to create a highly efficient fuel source for exploding within the combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine. It has also been found by the inventor hereof that it is beneficial to provide one or more spring loaded safety gates or valves in the conduit or piping provided between the outlet of the fuel vaporization and air mixing chamber and the intake manifold of the internal combustion engine to prevent the possibility of an explosion within the fuel vaporization and air mixing chamber should a backfire occur within the internal combustion engine.
In an exemplary embodiment of the pre-combustion chamber fuel vaporization and aeration system for internal combustion engines taught herein the pre-combustion chamber fuel vaporization and aeration system for internal combustion engines includes a fuel vaporization and air mixing chamber housing, a fuel inlet system, and an air inlet system; the fuel vaporization and air mixing chamber housing having an interior compartment provided therein that is divided by several horizontally oriented steel plates each provided with a number of small holes therethrough to create a bottom liquid fuel and air receiving chamber and a top aerated fuel vapor chamber; the fuel inlet system including a float valve having a valve inlet in connection with a pressurized fuel line, a valve controlling float and a fuel outlet opening, the valve controlling float and the fuel outlet opening being installed within a perforated float enclosure provided as part of the fuel inlet system and positioned within the bottom liquid fuel and air receiving chamber, the valve controlling float being adjusted to maintain a desired fluid fuel level within the bottom liquid fuel and air receiving chamber, the perforated float enclosure having sufficient perforations to allow fuel to flow freely from the perforated float enclosure to the bottom liquid fuel and air receiving chamber; the air inlet system including a one-way air flow piping structure having an inlet opening positioned outside the fuel vaporization and air mixing chamber housing and an air outlet positioned along the bottom of the bottom liquid fuel and air receiving chamber such that air must bubble up through the liquid fuel in the bottom liquid fuel and air receiving chamber; the movement of the vehicle and the bubbling of the air emitted from the air outlet of the one-way air flow piping structure through the liquid fuel along with the requirement that the fuel and air travel out of the bottom liquid fuel and air receiving chamber through the number of small holes formed through the horizontally oriented steel plates to reach the top aerated fuel vapor chamber causes the liquid fuel to become vaporized and aerated prior to entering top aerated fuel vapor chamber where the vacuum generated by the internal combustion engine within the intake manifold causes the fuel vapor air mixture to be sucked out of the top aerated fuel vapor chamber past the safety valves and into the intake manifold of the internal combustion engine.
In this embodiment, an optional fuel warmer unit is provided and positioned at the bottom of the bottom liquid fuel and air receiving chamber to warm the liquid fuel to increase the vaporization rate of the liquid fuel. The fuel warmer unit warms the liquid fuel but only to a temperature well below the flash point of the fuel. Although a fuel warmer is placed in connection with the liquid fuel in this exemplary embodiment, it should be clearly understood that the liquid fuel could be warmed using various other modalities including warming the air prior to allowing the air to mix with the liquid fuel.